What We Learned from Saints OTAs
Three sessions of OTAs might not seem like a lot, but they certainly delivered on some of things we were hoping to see from the Saints. A three-day mandatory minicamp is right around the corner for Dennis Allen's squad after they wrap up OTAs this week. So, after three sessions for the black and gold, what have we learned?
SAINTS OTAS RECAPS: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3
Chris Olave Looks Outstanding, But It's Not Just Him
John Hendrix
Juwan Johnson and Rashid Shaheed deserve a lot of praise from what we saw in the first few weeks, but Chris Olave has arguably looked the best throughout all the weeks. Johnson and Shaheed both caught all 4 of their combined targets in the sessions we observed in 7-on-7 and team drills, while Olave caught 6-of-7 targets, which included a couple of touchdowns. The lone miss was due to just a small window of timing being off, but the beauty of that was that the ball went right back to Derek Carr after the rep and was thrown back to Olave to ensure they got it down. Needless to say, it feels like those three are playing with an elevated amount of confidence.
Attendance Was Strong
Oct 16, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) is announced to the fans before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
We have to remember that OTAs are strictly voluntary, and the Saints did have strong attendance for sessions. Some players were in and out of the lineup in the three Tuesdays we observed. That being said, players we did not see on the field in any form or capacity included Taysom Hill, Marshon Lattimore, Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk, James Hurst, and Andrus Peat. That shouldn't be a huge cause for concern, but it's still worth pointing out.
On the flip side, someone like Payton Turner being there for all three sessions and from the very start is an encouraging sign. One of the sticking points is how comparable that is to Marcus Davenport. Dennis Allen has said more than a few times of the importance of being around, and it was no coincidence that Davenport had his best season with the Saints when he was there from the very start.
One absence for the past couple of weeks that is a little mysterious is Paulson Adebo. He was there for the first week, but we haven't seen him sense. It's a pretty strong battle for the corner spot, and right now Alontae Taylor has things right where he wants them. Dennis Allen didn't have any updates for him when asked on Tuesday.
Michael Thomas Will Be Full Speed at Training Camp
John Hendrix
Seeing Michael Thomas at OTAs was a very pleasant surprise that no one saw coming. While he was more of a presence there, the fact is that Thomas said during his press conference that he'll be ready for Day 1 of training camp and will be at full speed. This is very encouraging news for Thomas, who is eager to work with Derek Carr and get back to form. We saw no visible limitations on Thomas during OTAs, and if New Orleans can get him back in the offense similar to what we got in training camp last year and from Week 1's game against the Falcons, then the offense just got a lot scarier.
The Excitement is There for Derek Carr
John Hendrix
Derek Carr knows what he needs to do to help the Saints, and it's not by reinventing anything or being someone the team doesn't need him to be. He's here to win, which seems like it's a no-brainer, but you can just get a sense for how things run under him in just the few sessions he's been out there. He's been nothing but complimentary of players, and he knows the strengths of them all from Chris Olave to Erik McCoy. Carr has the right mindset and mentality going into this season, and it really feels like his career has been reinvigorated.
Sleepers, Risers, and Watchers
John Hendrix
Again, we've seen all of three sessions. However, there have been some players who have jumped out more than others during OTAs. Here's a breakdown, categorized accordingly. A sleeper is someone I'd define with a good outlook or chance for a role, while a riser is someone who made good movement, and a watcher is someone I'd categorize as wanting to see more of.
SLEEPERS: Kirk Merritt leads the pack here for me. Merritt benefitted a lot by not having others be in the lineup for the running back room, and he might end up being a strong candidate to be the new Dwayne Washington with a little more upside.
RISERS: D'Marco Jackson has looked pretty strong and comfortable in his work, and the team is giving him a lot more looks to learn and grow. If we don't see any linebackers come in ahead of training camp, that would be a great sign of where they believe he's at. Rookies I'd list here would be Jordan Howden and Bryan Bresee, but it's still too early to tell on them.
WATCHERS: Blake Grupe made things interesting after a strong showing to close out Tuesday's practice after hitting all of his kicks. He overcame struggling the week before, and we might have an interesting kicker situation brewing. He has a strong leg, and might end up putting other teams on watch if he can't beat out Wil Lutz.
Other players I'd put in this category would be Isaac Yiadom and Troy Pride. Yiadom is known for being more of a special teams player, but he's getting some looks at corner. What I like most about him is that he responds quickly if he gets beat on a route. Lucas Krull is another one here, who seems to be getting a lot more targets than last year. It's also a very crowded wide receiver room, but Tre'Quan Smith looked like the player we expected him to be on Tuesday. Can he keep it going?
